GTI Mourns Referee Assessor, Enagbare
Strategic partners to the Nigeria Premier Football League, GTI Group, have expressed shock at the demise of Mrs. Rachael Enagbare, who was in Lagos at the weekend as the Referees Assessor for the NPFL Matchday 4 fixture between Ikorodu City and Barau FC.
She was said to have been rushed to the Havanah Hospital in Surulere, where she later died of complications from a yet-to-be-disclosed illness.
In a press statement made available to journalists in Lagos on Monday, September 15, 2025, GTI Head of Media and Publicity, Andrew Ekejiuba, stated that her passing has sent a rude shock to soccer fans and prayed for her gentle soul to rest in perfect peace.
“The GTI Group and soccer fans across the country are deeply saddened by the unfortunate and unexpected passing of Mrs Rachael Enagbare, a former referee who has been working with the NPFL as a match referee assessor.
“We extend our sincere condolences to her immediate family and to the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) over this unfortunate incident,” the statement read.
Ekejiuba, however, called on soccer fans in the country to be united in prayer for the bereaved family.
Meanwhile, Otunba Gbenga Elegbeleye, the Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), has described the death of Enagbare as a huge loss to the league body and the entire football community in the country.
He said the league body liaised with the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA), Lagos Referees Council and the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) towards ensuring the return of the body to the family in Edo State.
